Ticked off Rome’s big sights and wondering where to go next? Natasha Foges picks some of the city’s off-the-beaten track highlights.

Lose yourself in the Quartiere Coppedè

There’s so much to grab tourists’ attention in central Rome that a magical spot like the Quartiere Coppedè can go unnoticed. Tucked away in the Trieste quarter (tram 3 or 19 to Piazza Buenos Aires), northeast of the centre, this flight of fancy was conceived by architect Gino Coppedè in 1919.

The predominantly Art Nouveau architecture is embellished with a riot of details – Florentine turrets, frescoed facades, medieval motifs and Gothic gargoyles – and sports such whimsical creations as a frog-embellished fountain, a “fairy cottage” and a “spider’s palace”.

Get lost in time at Cinecittà film studios

If you’ve visited the Roman Forum and struggled to summon up the epicentre of the ancient world from this large open space littered with rubble and broken columns, you could always cheat and head to Cinecittà.

Within easy reach of the centre by metro, these film studios house the set of the HBO/BBC blockbuster Rome, with its impressive reconstruction of the Forum, its buildings intact and brightly painted as they would have been in ancient times.

Littered with props from iconic films, Cinecittà has plenty of tributes to the “Hollywood on the Tiber” classics of its Dolce Vita-era heyday, as well as spaghetti western memorabilia and more.

Take in some quirky culture at Villa Torlonia

Few tourists make their way to this palm-shaded park north of the centre – it’s not only a shady retreat on a scorching summer’s day but also has an intriguing history.

The estate was given to Mussolini in the 1930s to use for as long as he needed it, and his home, the frescoed Casino Nobile, is open to the public.

Nearby, the World War II bunker built for Mussolini and his family has recently been opened to the public and can be visited on engaging guided tours.

Another offbeat sight, nestled in the corner of the park, is the Casina delle Civette (“Little House of the Owls”), a Liberty-style building packed with beautiful Art Nouveau features: eagle-eyed visitors will spot the owls and other birds that feature in stained glass throughout the house.

Admire Tor Marancia’s street art

If you’ve had your fill of Renaissance and Baroque art, head to the city’s fringes for a glimpse of some modern-day masterpieces. Rome’s street-art scene has blossomed in recent years, as part of a council-run initiative to regenerate downtrodden and neglected areas.

A case in point is Tor Marancia (walking distance from Garbatella metro stop), where a housing estate has been given a colourful facelift by twenty international artists. Monumental murals in different artistic styles emblazon the sides of eleven buildings – from US artist Gaia’s De Chirico-inspired giant orange on a cobalt background to French artist Seth’s outsize child, whose crayoned ladder allows him to scale five storeys.

Picnic in Parco degli Acquedotti

Film buffs might recognize the Parco degli Acquedotti from the opening scene of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, in which a statue of Christ is helicoptered from the city’s working-class outskirts to the Vatican.

The park is even more impressive in technicolour: criss-crossed with the hulking remains of ancient Roman aqueducts, which brought thousands of litres of water into the city every day, and dotted with wildflowers and grazing sheep, it’s a popular spot with picnicking locals and joggers.

It’s pretty much undiscovered by tourists, though, and easy to get to (a short walk from Giulio Agricola metro), making it a great spot to appreciate the genius of the ancient Romans without battling the crowds.

Pay your respects at the Protestant Cemetery

The Protestant Cemetery, tucked away behind high stone walls in the Testaccio district, might not be your first sightseeing choice, but it’s a surprisingly enjoyable place for a wander, with lichen-covered headstones and ornate tombs carrying some fascinating and poignant stories of the non-Catholic foreigners that ended up here.

The cemetery’s most famous residents are Keats and Shelley; the former, who died of tuberculosis in Rome in 1821, has an unnamed grave, engraved at his request with the words “Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water”.

Discover Rome’s quieter side in Garbatella

A curiosity in the industrial Ostiense district, Garbatella (metro line B) was built in the 1920s following the English “garden city” model, with rustic, low-rise buildings clustered around peaceful communal gardens and courtyards.

Originally built to house people displaced by Mussolini’s demolitions in the city centre, Garbatella’s inclusive design fostered a strong sense of community that still survives today. It’s an appealing place for a breather from central Rome, and is gaining a reputation as a foodie hotspot, with a good mix of earthy trattorias and hip new venues.

New Zealand’s largest city is full of inviting neighbourhoods filled with interesting shops and quality restaurants.

Situated on a narrow isthmus near the top of the North Island, Auckland is one of the world’s iconic destinations for sailing enthusiasts. Rare is the local who doesn’t enjoy spending time on the water, and visitors have a variety of pleasure cruises to choose from.

The sports-­mad city stops whenever the national rugby team, the iconic All Blacks, takes the field at Eden Park, and the world’s biggest musical icons often make a stop at the city’s Vector Arena.

Neighbourhoods such as Ponsonby, Mount Eden, Parnell, and Devonport are chock full of inviting boutiques, trendy restaurants, and unique accommodation.

New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs can be found on wine lists the world over. Situated on the northeastern corner of the South Island, the Marlborough region attracts oenophiles of all stripes.

A variety of wineries, from world­-renowned producers to small upstarts, offer a tasting room experience behind their cellar doors. Several of the wineries house a bistro where visitors can enjoy locally­-sourced snacks too.

Nature lovers take a break from wine tasting to cruise the stunning Marlborough Sounds, an assortment of ancient sunken river valleys populated with highly­-prized salmon, mussels, and more.

For an alternative to Marlborough’s sauvignon-­focused scene, head north to Hawke’s Bay, where a number of award­-winning wineries specialize in reds such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Beyond the wineries, visitors to this North Island region get to experience the city of Napier, home to one of the world’s most extensive displays of Art Deco architecture.

The rugged west coast of the South Island will be familiar to anyone who’s seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Fans come from around the globe to see the sparsely populated locales that served as backdrops for Sir Peter Jackson’s award-­winning films.

Charming small towns give way to jaw­-dropping mountain roads and imposing glaciers. Dozens of hiking trails, plus stunning overlooks and points of interest, are all easily accessible from the main West Coast drive along State Highway 6.

Few places on the planet pack as many adrenaline-­fuelled experiences as Queenstown. This small South Island town has exploded over the past couple of decades, and is constantly packed with international visitors lured by the abundant adventure activities; bungy jumping, jet boating, skydiving, hang-­gliding, skiing, and just about any other thrill ride imaginable.

The town centre buzzes with hip restaurants and bars, allowing thrill-­seekers of all stripes to kick back and relax at the end of the day while enjoying beautiful lake views.

The South Island’s Fiordland region wows even the hard to please, with its incredible natural attractions, most notably the world-­famous Milford Sound and larger but lesser known Doubtful Sound, where visitors frequently spot whales and dolphins.

Fiordland National Park hosts dozens of kilometers of world­-class hiking trails, many of which can be experienced in a few hours or a few days.

The small town of Te Anau serves as a regional hub, allowing visitors to stock up on camping supplies and local souvenirs with minimal fuss.

An easy drive east of Auckland, the breathtaking Coromandel Peninsula is filled with charming small towns and stunning natural scenery. Spend the night at a family­-owned B&B or inexpensive guesthouse, then set off during the day to explore attractions such as Hot Water Beach, where hot water bubbles through holes in the soft sand at low tide, and Cathedral Cove, an incredible, naturally formed archway on Hahei Beach.

The largest city on the South Island, Christchurch suffered unimaginable damage due to a series of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. Today, the city centre remains a work in progress, filled with interactive art spaces and shops housed in shipping containers.

Despite the wreckage, much of which is still visible, the city’s charm remains intact thanks to its idyllic, English-­style parks, world-­class botanic gardens, and scenic punting along the Avon River.

Got wheels, wanderlust and some time this summer? A European road trip beckons. The continent just can’t be beaten when it comes to epic journeys, from Spain‘s scenic coastal drives to Germany‘s astonishing roadside alpine vistas. Not sure where to start? Take the quiz below.

Renowned the world over for its decorated tribes, the Omo Valley is a stop on many a tourist route in Ethiopia. But visits to the area can cross ethical boundaries, and few tourists are allowed the pleasure of a genuine experience with local people. Here, Rough Guides photographer Tim Draper tells us about his experience photographing some of southern Ethiopia’s most fascinating tribes.

As a travel photographer I desperately wanted to capture creative and authentic portraits in the Omo Valley, whilst hoping to avoid the negative experiences told in tourists tales of ‘zoo-like’ excursions.

After spending almost a week researching tour companies in Addis I carefully chose my driver, and together we planned our trip around the Omo villages.

We stayed overnight in most villages, camping or sleeping in huts. It was a good way to get to know the tribes, spending long afternoons with them while tourists came and went, barely getting out of their vehicles before they were whisked away.

If you don’t want a zoo-like experience in Omo, you’d do well to keep your camera in your pocket for a little while longer, try to connect with the people on a deeper level than that of a fifteen-minute whistle-stop photo opportunity.

I took my pictures methodically and slowly, with good humour and in a relaxed atmosphere. After all, good travel portraits – like good travel experiences – require time, care and trust.

It’s easy to be daunted by the endless choices on offer when planning a trip with kids. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of family vacation ideas that will get everyone – even jaded teenagers – excited.

For adventure: India

In the spirit of the latest The Jungle Book movie, take the kids on a tiger safari in India’s national parks. Two of the best tiger reserves are in Tadoba and Kanha national parks in central India – the latter in Madhya Pradesh which was the inspiration for Kipling’s classic story. There’s also the sprawling Satpura National Park in the same region, where you can pile into 4x4s for game drives and spot other wildlife lurking in the lush landscapes.

For seaside fun: Britain

Ignore the jokes about the changeable British weather and head for the beach for your next family vacation. For such a small island, Britain has an astonishingly varied coastline – from the rocky coves indenting Cornwall’s Atlantic side to the long sandy beaches of Rhossili bay in Wales and Cape Wrath at Scotland’s northwestern tip. Get into the old-fashioned seaside spirit in Blackpool or Scarborough, or check out the cool chic of Brighton and its exotic Royal Pavilion.

For activities: Costa Rica

Cloud forests, jungles, volcanoes and tumbling waterfalls – the natural beauty of Costa Rica is inexhaustible, and even better appreciated when you’re in the thick of it. Strap the family into zip wires for an unforgettable ride above Monteverde’s cloud forest, and hold on tight for a white-water rafting adventure in the jungles of Arenal. For a gentle comedown, take a leisurely boat cruise through the green waterways and lagoons of Tortuguero National Park.

For exotic culture: Morocco

Choose your transport – camels, 4x4s, mules or your own two feet – for guided treks through the Atlas Mountains surrounding Marrakesh. Along the way, you get to stay in Berber villages to unplug yourself (and the gadget-glued kids) and discover a completely different way of life. After a family vacation spent riding the sand dunes or biking along dusty trails, finish in relaxing style on the beach at Essaouira.

For history: Rome

People of all ages can’t help but wonder at the ancient marvels that are casually strewn all over Rome. The Forum and the Colosseum are the big-hitters, of course, but there’s also the miracle that’s the Pantheon, which has been standing in Piazza della Rotonda since AD125 despite all that history has thrown at it. Children who are fans of Roman history will get a thrill from wandering through the ancient ruins of Ostia Antica. They’re only about 30 minutes from Rome and attract only a fraction of the tourists you’ll find in Italy’s capital.

For a road trip: America’s West

Start in Los Angeles – maybe squeeze in a visit to Universal Studios or Disneyland while you’re there – before hitting the road. Get a taste of the desert while driving through Joshua Tree National Park before crossing the border into the dusty red landscapes of Arizona and New Mexico. The area around Tucson, Santa Fe and Albuquerque is rich in colonial Spanish history and Native American culture, including the terracotta-coloured Unesco World Heritage Site of Taos Pueblo. At this point it’s very tempting to continue north towards the Grand Canyon.

For food: Vietnam

Stick a plate of noodles in front of children and most of them would be happy. Go a step further and let them discover how to cook it themselves in the bewitching surroundings of Hoi An, preferably in one of the cooking schools that’s in a scenic riverside spot. The kids will be whipping up a classic Vietnamese pho in no time after spending the morning scouring the local markets for fresh ingredients for their lunch. Hoi An is street-food heaven, with stalls mingling influences from both the north and south of the country.

For wildlife: Kangaroo Island, Australia

More than a third of this peaceful South Australia island is covered in national parks where you can get comfortably close to wildlife – that means lounging with the sea lions on the beach and feeding the kangaroos in the aptly named Kangaroo Island National Park. There are also wallabies and koalas too, of course – not to mention possums, bandicoots and other native creatures. You’ll spot another exotic species in any of the five surf bays too, as the long sandy beaches and waves attract surfers from all over the world.

Reykjavík is one of Europe’s smaller and saner capitals. If you’re more used to the traffic-clogged streets of other major european cities, the sense of space and calm here will come as a breath of fresh air.

Even in the heart of this Reykjavík, nature is always in evidence – there can be few other cities in the world, for example, where greylag geese regularly overfly the busy centre – and escaping the crowds and finding a spot of peace and tranquillity is relatively easy.

1. Hafnarfjörður

2. Víðey

For just 1100kr you can ride the ferry to Viðey for great views of Reykjavík and the surrounding coastline. Viðey boasts some great hiking trails, too, offering a real chance to commune with nature in the city.

3. Reykjanes Peninsula

With your own transport, a drive around the southwestern point of the Reykjanes Peninsula, through the lava landscapes between Gríndavík and Hafnir, is especially rewarding.

Split and Dubrovnik are the stars of Croatian tourism. Both have an ancient core historic enough to be listed by UNESCO yet vibrant enough to remain home to a sizeable local population. Both have beaches backed by clear waters, fresh local seafood and plentiful bars with Adriatic views. And both have appeared in Game of Thrones.

But should Split or Dubrovnik be your first Croatian port of call? Here’s our lowdown on what they have to offer.

Which is best for culture?

Split first sprouted around the Diocletian’s Palace, a medieval hotchpotch of buildings superimposed onto a Roman blueprint that dates back to 295 AD. Wandering its spaghetti mess of alleyways and courtyards is the best way to get to grips with the city. Climb the bell tower of St Domnius for views across the red roofs to the harbour beyond and settle in on the steps of a café to watch local life pass by.

Dubrovnik’s old town is still home to some 1000 people and a walk along the 25m-high medieval city walls means peering down over people’s washing lines and into their kitchen windows.

All is peaceful now but in 1991–2 the city was under siege and there’s no better insight into this painful chapter in its history than the War Photo museum, a moving collection of photojournalism that pulls no punches.

It’s also worth taking the cable car up lofty Mount Srđ to see where the local population defended their city from the Serbs.

Which is best for food?

Croatian food is fabulous, making creative use of the country’s excellent local produce.

Both Split and Dubrovnik are port cities, with easy access to superb fresh seafood, and grilled fish is a staple of the menu in both cities. You’ll also find the Dalmatian classic, pašticada (beef stew), served up in every konoba (traditional restaurant) and, in Dubrovnik, plenty of fresh oysters from the country’s oyster capital Ston.

Split has fallen prey to the mediocre tourist trap restaurant less so than Dubrovnik and it’s a little easier to find authentic food here, especially in the streets to the west of the palace, towards the Varoš neighbourhood.

In Dubrovnik, a good general rule for finding authentic Croatian food is to stick to the restaurants south of Stradun (Prijeko to the north is particularly tourist-trap heavy) and, for the very best seafood, head out to Gruž, home to the fish market and some great seafood restaurants.

What about nightlife?

The perfect night out in either city starts with finding the perfect pavement table to sit at and watch the world go by.

In Split you’ll most likely find this on the Riva, where the strip of bars with their large harbour front terraces are the perfect place to wave off the day’s cruise ships. Afterwards head into the Diocletian’s Palace with the locals to find a place to perch on the steps and order a glass of local wine – keep heading upwards to find the quieter, less touristy spots.

In Dubrovnik sundowners are best at one of the Buza bars. Buza means “hole” and both Buza I and Buza II are tucked away in the city walls and accessed by a small doorway – beyond you’ll find tables balanced on the rocks and stunning Adriatic views. From here head back to Stradun and follow the alleyways running off it to find tiny wine bars such as long-running D’Vino.

Where can I swim?

The Adriatic has some of the cleanest, clearest water in Europe and no visit to Croatia is complete without a swim.

In Split, head to Bačvice beach, a short walk east of the city centre, for shallow waters and – unusually for Croatia – a sandy ocean floor, or escape to the facilities-free Kašjuni beach, on the southern coast of the Marjan peninsula some 4km west of the city.

In Dubrovnik, few experiences beat swimming from the rocks at one of the Buza bars, returning to flop onto the warm rocks and order a cold beer. Banje beach just outside the city walls to the east is another good bet, with the chic Banje Beach lounge bar providing lounge beds on the sands.

Which is the best base for day trips?

Split is located in the middle section of Croatia’s lengthy Adriatic coastline and so is in a far better location than Dubrovnik when it comes to seeing more of the country (it also has better international flight connections).

Croatia’s fast motorways make it possible to visit the Plitvice Lakes national park from Split, some 250km away (2.5hrs drive). This is Croatia’s most popular natural attraction, a wonderland of tumbling waterfalls and idyllic lakes. Shorter trips can be taken to the beautiful ancient town of Trogir, some 20km drive up the coast, and across to the island of Brač, a 50-minute ferry journey from Split and home to the country’s most famous beach, the golden sandy spit of Zlatni Rat.

Dubrovnik lies in the far south of Croatia, but still has plenty of options for day trips. Perhaps the best is over to the island of Lokrum, a 15-minute ferry ride from the old harbour and home to monastic ruins, unspoiled woodland and plenty of peacocks.

Even more unspoiled are the gorgeous Elaphite Islands, with their olive groves and quaint hamlets, to which several full-day boat tours run. Ston is another great day trip option, its ancient city walls and abundant oyster beds just an hour’s drive along the coast.

So which one should I go to?

That depends – how good are you with crowds? Dubrovnik heaves with cruise ship passengers and holidaymakers in summer, making a beautiful city a very difficult place to love. Split suffers less with overcrowding so in high summer we say head here. Off-season, though, Dubrovnik is far quieter and there’s no denying that this Croatian stunner is the country’s crowning glory for a reason – it is truly spectacular.

Not all that long ago Margate was a forlorn seaside town rejected by even the bucket-and-spade brigade. In a sad story echoed across England, the already struggling high street was devastated by the opening of an out-of-town shopping centre; pubs and restaurants were closing, and the future of this once thriving seaside resort looked grim.

Fast forward ten years to the latest edition of the Rough Guide to England and this North Kent town is lauded for its “irresistible energy” and its “vintage shopping and fabulous art gallery”.

So how exactly did this revival happen? And why has Margate’s regeneration been covered everywhere from the BBC to the New York Times?

High speed London to Margate

Walking from the rail station past the iconic (or unsightly, depending on your point of view) granite high-rise block and shabby amusement arcades, it’s clear who has just stepped off the one-hour-twenty-minute high speed train from St Pancras. Moustachio’d hipsters cross over to the beach side of the busy seafront road, taking great gulps of sea air and gravitating to the pretty harbour arm in the distance.

Margate’s sea and sandy beach first attracted flannel-bathing-suited pleasure seekers in the Victorian times, and most of what today’s day-trippers are after, from fish and chips to art and antiques, can be found close to the harbour in the tiny Old Town.

Art and the Creative Quarter

You can’t talk about art in Margate without more than a nod to landscape painter JMW Turner, who, after attending school in the Old Town, became a regular visitor to Margate – and Mrs Booth, his landlady – and said that the skies here “were the loveliest in all Europe”.

The Turner Contemporary opened in a big glass box on the seafront in 2011 and hosts all sorts of exciting historic and contemporary exhibitions, not least by local girl Tracy Emin, who was also commissioned to create the artwork over the visitor centre entrance, where her declaration to the town “I Never Stopped Loving You” blazes in neon green.

Riding in the slipstream of the Turner Contemporary’s national profile, an entire “Creative Quarter” has emerged, with collaborative artist-led spaces like Crate and Resort supporting local artists, and lots of the town’s independent shops have an artistic bent.

Small businesses like souvenir shop Crafted Naturally have studio space; owner Wendy runs hands-on workshops where you can create your own gorgeous batik print – drawing and brushing with hot wax over cloth.

One of the town’s most intriguing works of art can only be seen by leaving the other day-trippers behind and making for the underground Shell Grotto. Twisting passageways and damp chambers covered in the swirls and patterns of more than four million shells were discovered in 1835; you’re invited to make up your own mind whether it’s an eccentric Victorian folly, an ancient pagan temple, or simply the town’s first, best, PR stunt.

Seaside nostalgia

Back on the seafront there’s something proudly working class about Margate. It’s got character – and characters. Mannings Seafood Stall still serves up jellied eel and oysters, families line the steps down to the sands eating chips from Peter’s Fish Factory and kiosks do a roaring trade in Mr Whippy’s.

After years as a bingo hall and then snooker club, the 1911 Parade Cinema has reemerged as the Old Kent Market, complete with food stalls and double decker bus serving coffee and cocktails.

The nostalgic theme has been turned up a notch with the recent grand reopening of the sixteen-acre amusement park Dreamland, with the UK’s oldest wooden roller-coaster, dodgems, vintage arcade games and a roller room for skating like it’s 1979.

Playing up to the associations with the mods and rockers who gathered here in the sixties, vintage furniture and clothing stores have sprung up across the Old Town and, for those who have been put off by Margate’s rocketing rental rates, up Fort Hill to neighbouring Cliftonville.

There are few more quintessentially French views than castle turrets stretching up into a clear blue sky. From the gracious châteaux of the Loire to majestic palaces like Versailles, the country’s castles mark its landscapes, reveal its history and draw visitors from around the world.

While most people flock to Fontainebleau or Versailles, of all the great mansions within reach of a day’s outing from Paris, the classical Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte is the most architecturally harmonious and aesthetically pleasing – and the most human in scale.

Louis XIV’s finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet, had the château built between 1656 and 1661 at colossal expense, using the top designers of the day – architect Le Vau, painter Le Brun and landscape gardener Le Nôtre. The result was magnificence and precision in perfect proportion, and a bill that could only be paid by someone who occasionally confused the state’s accounts with his own.

Only 2km from France’s border with Germany, the imposing and impregnable Château de Malbrouck is a restoration marvel. Every brick and turret has been placed in the medieval manner by masons re-schooled in bygone techniques.

It gained its name from the Duke of Marlborough, who decided to invade France through the Moselle using the castle as his base. It took just two weeks for the Duke of Villars, one of Louis xIV’s best generals, to assemble a massive army and scupper his plans, but the castle’s name has remained in folk memory as Malbrouck, a Francification of Marlborough.

The three Rapunzel towers of the Château de Rohan in Josselin, embedded in a vast sheet of stone above the water, are the most impressive sight along the Nantes–Brest canal.

They now serve as a facade for the remnants of the much older castle behind, built by Olivier de Clisson in 1370, the original riverfront towers of which were demolished by Richelieu in 1629 in punishment for Henri de Rohan’s leadership of the Huguenots. It’s still owned by the Rohan family, which used to own a third of Brittany.

The Château de la Ferté-St-Aubin lies 20km south of Orléans, at the north end of the village of Ferté-St-Aubin. The late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century building presents an enticing combination of salmon-coloured brick, creamy limestone and dark slate roofs.

The interior is a real nineteenth-century home – and you are invited to treat it as such, which makes a real change from the stuffier attitudes of most grand homes. You can wander freely into almost every room, playing billiards or the piano, picking up the old telephone, sitting on the worn armchairs or washing your hands in a porcelain sink.

Twelve kilometres northeast of Gien in La Bussière is a surprising château dedicated to fishing: the so-called Château des Pêcheurs.

Initially a fortress, the château was turned into a luxurious residence at the end of the sixteenth century, but only the gateway and one pepper-pot tower are recognizably medieval. Guided tours are available, but you’re free to wander around, soaking up the genteel atmosphere evoked by the handsome, largely nineteenth-century furnishings and the eccentrically huge collection of freshwater fishing memorabilia bequeathed by Count Henri de Chasseval.

The romantic Château de Tanlay is a pleasant 8km cycle along the canal southeast from Tonnerre. This early sixteenth-century construction, very French in feel, is only slightly later in date than its near neighbour, but those extra few years were enough for the purer Italian influences visible in Ancy to have become Frenchified.

Encircling the château are water-filled moats and standing guard over the entrance to the first grassy courtyard is the grand lodge, from where you enter the château across a stone drawbridge.

The handsome Château de Bussy-Rabutin, a French National monument, was built for Roger de Rabutin, a member of the Academy in the reign of Louis XIV and a notorious womanizer. The scurrilous tales of life at the royal court told in his book Histoires Amoureuses des Gaules earned him a spell in the Bastille, followed by years of exile in this château.

There are some interesting portraits of great characters of the age, including its famous female beauties, each underlined by an acerbic little comment such as: “The most beautiful woman of her day, less renowned for her beauty than the uses she put it to”.

The Château de Châlucet lies 5km up the valley of the Briance to the east of Solignac. At the highest point of the climb there is a dramatic view across the valley to the romantic, ruined keep of the castle, rising above the woods.

Built in the twelfth century, the château was in English hands during the Hundred Years’ War and, in the lawless aftermath, became the lair of a notorious local brigand, Perrot le Béarnais. It was dismantled in 1593 for harbouring Protestants and has been much restored recently.

The Château de Hautefort enjoys a majestic position at the end of a wooded spur above its feudal village. A magnificent example of good living on a grand scale, the castle has an elegance that is out of step with the usual rough stone fortresses of Périgord.

The approach is across a wide esplanade flanked by formal gardens, over a drawbridge, and into a stylish Renaissance courtyard, open to the south. In 1968 a fire gutted the castle, but it has since been meticulously restored using traditional techniques; it’s all unmistakably new, but the quality of the craftsmanship is superb.

Close to the village of Menthon-St-Bernard near Annecy is the grand, turreted Château de Menthon. The fortress has been inhabited since the twelfth century and was the birthplace of St Bernard, the patron saint of mountaineers – indeed, the castle remains in the hands of the de Menthon family.

In the nineteenth century, however, it was extensively renovated in the romantic Gothic revival style and now possesses an impressive library containing some 12,000 books. On weekends, costumed actors relate the château’s history.

The Château d’If, on the tiny island of If, is best known as the penal setting for Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo.

Having made his watery escape after fourteen years of incarceration as the innocent victim of treachery, the hero of the piece, Edmond Dantès, describes the island thus: “Blacker than the sea, blacker than the sky, rose like a phantom the giant of granite, whose projecting crags seemed like arms extended to seize their prey”. In reality, most prisoners went insane or died before leaving.

Today, the sixteenth-century castle and its cells are horribly well preserved, and the views back towards Marseille are fantastic.

This month at Rough Guides our editors and authors have been trekking in Borneo, gorging on tapas in Granada and scaling volcanos in Mexico. Here’s a small selection of their highlights.

Just back from…

Andalucía, Spain Editor Helen has just returned from an Andalucian adventure. Highlights included a visit to Spain‘s most comical festival, Cadiz Carnival, where groups of musicians tour the city’s alleys and plazas singing satirical songs in fancy dress (seemingly perpetually drunk), and a long weekend in the stunning mountain town of Granada. Read her feature about reaping the benefits of free tapas and more.

Borneo, Malaysia Senior Editor Ros explored the Malaysian state of Sabah, in Borneo’s northeastern corner, for a forthcoming online article. Two intrepid weeks were spent snorkelling at the spectacular reef around Mabul Island, on the trail of wild pygmy elephants and orang-utans on the Kinabatangan River, and following in David Attenborough’s footsteps to the cockroach-infested Gomantong bat cave.

Heading off to…

The Faroe Islands In May we’re off to explore this remote cluster of islands in the Norwegian Sea – located somewhere between the Shetland Islands, Norway and Iceland. Days will be spent blowing away the cobwebs with gentle strolls along windswept beaches, horse-riding through the dramatic landscape, and sea kayaking to view puffins nesting on the cliffs.

Lagos, Portugal One of our resident adventure-sports addicts is headedLagos, on Portugal’s southwestern tip to take to the waves on a three-day surf crash-course. While not splashing around in the water, there’ll be seafood to gorge on, and organic wines and homemade local produce to sample at a nearby vineyard.

What we’re working on…

Walks in London and the Southeast We’re putting together the ebook version of the new Rough Guide to Walks in London and the Southeast, out later this summer, and getting very excited about trying it out. The design has been overhauled, with more beautiful photos and clearer route maps, the old routes re-walked and plenty of new ones added. There’s a great balance between green spots and historic routes in the capital, and the great British countryside – along with vital tips like what to bring with you, where to get a good pint, and how not to behave in a field full of cows.

Mexico In June 2016 we publish the tenth edition of the Rough Guide to Mexico. Our four hard-travelling authors survived 42-degree desert heat, tramped hurricane-battered Pacific beaches and scaled lofty volcanoes while updating this latest edition. They’ve also been keeping a keen eye on what’s new: foodie tours in Oaxaca, a James Bond takeover in Mexico City for the filming of Spectre, and preparations for the forthcoming 2017 centenary of the Mexican Revolution. No huge surprise that Mexico has just entered the top 10 most visited countries in the world.

Did you know…?

The US used to have a ghostly highwayNew Mexico used to have a highway named 666. Plagued with rumours of ghostly apparitions, and with a very real number of fatal accidents, the stretch of highway off the defunct Route 66 was dubbed “Highway to Hell” and “The Devil’s Highway” in the national press. In 2003 New Mexico’s House and Senate passed a Joint Resolution to change the road name because “the number 666 carries the stigma of being the mark of the beast, the mark of the devil, which was described in the book of Revelation in the Bible”. It swiftly became US-491.

Britain’s most remote pub can only be reached by boat Located in an isolated corner of the Scottish Highlands and inaccessible by car, The Old Forge is Britain’s most remote pub. To get there punters have to hike for two days through the Knoydart Peninsula, one of Britain’s most captivating wilderness areas, or hop on a 45-minute boat from Mallaig. Editor Greg Dickinson stopped by earlier this month while updating the Rough Guide to Scotland, and reported back that it was well worth the journey.

In the news…

You can now book your holiday via WhatsApp Travel companies and tour operators are starting to offer booking services through this popular messaging app. Rough Guides readers aren’t convinced: only 30 percent say they’d give it a try.

New safari lodges are opening in Zimbabwe Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest game reserve, has seen the opening of several new lodges in the last year or so, as visitor numbers to this former safari favourite really start to pick up. The latest, Jozibanini Camp, is set in the park’s remote southern section, in an area that has been off-limits to tourists for nearly twenty years. Just three tents dotted around a waterhole, Jozi gives visitors intimate access to the local elephant and wild-dog populations and, rather unusually, offers game-viewing by mountain bike.